National Resident Matching Program
NRMP operates the Main Residency Match and Specialties Matching Service, using a Nobel Prize-winning algorithm to pair medical students and graduates with U.S. residency and fellowship positions across 6,000+ programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1952
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What National Resident Matching Program does
The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1952 and headquartered in Washington, DC, that operates the centralized matching system placing medical school graduates into U.S. residency training positions. Its flagship product, the Main Residency Match, uses a mathematical algorithm based on Gale-Shapley stable matching theory to pair applicant preferences with residency program preferences; research on this algorithm was the basis for the 2012 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. NRMP also operates the Specialties Matching Service (SMS), conducting 22 separate fellowship matches covering more than 80 subspecialties, plus the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) for unfilled positions. All matching activity runs through the R3 (Registration, Ranking, and Results) web platform, which integrates daily with AAMC ERAS, ResidencyCAS, and Liaison International application services, and weekly with ECFMG for international medical graduate credential verification.
NRMP serves four primary stakeholder groups: medical students and graduates (53,000+ active applicants annually, including U.S. MD seniors, U.S. DO seniors, and international medical graduates), residency and fellowship programs (6,000+ PGY-1/PGY-2 programs and 6,606 fellowship programs), teaching institutions, and U.S. medical schools. Its revenue model is fee-based: institutions pay ~$300 per Match plus $100 per program track and $75 per certified position; applicants pay a $70 base registration with additional fees for extra ranks ($30 each), late registration ($50), and couples ($45 per partner). As a non-profit, NRMP reinvests in operations, data reporting (Charting Outcomes, State Snapshots), and stakeholder engagement through the annual Transition to Residency Conference, webinars, and the Illuminator newsletter. NRMP holds a congressional antitrust exemption that legally protects its monopoly position as the sole comprehensive matching system for U.S. graduate medical education.
National Resident Matching Program firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- National Resident Matching Program
- Legal name
- National Resident Matching Program
- Website
- https://nrmp.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1952
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- NRMP operates the Main Residency Match and Specialties Matching Service, using a Nobel Prize-winning algorithm to pair medical students and graduates with U.S. residency and fellowship positions across 6,000+ programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
National Resident Matching Program industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Medical Residency Matching Services
- NAICS
- Technical and Trade Schools (6115)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Healthcare & Clinical Professional Certifications (EDAAANAI)
Keywords
Where National Resident Matching Program is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
National Resident Matching Program business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Program and Institutional Fees: NRMP charges institutions and programs registration fees and per-position fees for participation in the Match. This is the primary revenue mechanism for the non-profit organization.
- Applicant Registration Fees: Medical students and graduates pay registration fees to participate in the Match, with additional fees for extra program ranks and late registration.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Institutional Registration Fee |
| Subscription | Annual | Program Registration Fee |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Per Certified Position (Quota) Fee |
| Subscription | Annual | Standard Applicant Registration |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Extra Rank Fee |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Late Registration Fee |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Couples Fee |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
National Resident Matching Program product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NRMP operates matching programs that place medical school graduates into U.S. residency training positions and physicians into subspecialty fellowship positions. It conducts the annual Main Residency Match and the Specialties Matching Service (SMS) covering 80+ subspecialties across 22 separate matches, using a mathematical algorithm (the basis for the 2012 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences) delivered through its R3 web-based platform.
Product overview
NRMP operates as a platform organization providing two core matching products: the annual Main Residency Match (the flagship 74-year-old program matching medical school graduates to residency positions) and the Specialties Matching Service (SMS) fellowship matching program covering 80+ subspecialties. These core products are supported by the R3 technology platform for registration/ranking/results, the SOAP supplemental offer program for unfilled positions, and the public Program Directory. NRMP also publishes data products including Charting Outcomes reports and State Snapshots, and runs an annual Transition to Residency Conference for stakeholder engagement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Main Residency Match The flagship annual matching program that pairs medical school graduates with residency training positions across the United States using a Nobel Prize-winning mathematical algorithm to match applicant preferences with program preferences.
- Specialties Matching Service (SMS) Fellowship matching service conducting 22 separate Matches representing more than 80 subspecialties for physicians seeking subspecialty training positions.
- R3 System (Registration, Ranking, and Results) Password-protected online platform used by all Match participants to register for Matches, submit rank order lists, and access Match results and statistics, with daily data exchange with external application services.
- SOAP (Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program) Program allowing eligible unmatched, partially matched, and registered applicants to access positions remaining unfilled after the matching algorithm runs during Match Week.
- Program Directory Public searchable directory of over 6,000 PGY-1 and PGY-2 programs participating in the Main Residency Match, displaying program information, application service requirements, location, and NRMP program codes.
- Charting Outcomes Reports Comprehensive data reports examining applicant demographics, match outcomes, and program director survey results, including interactive dashboards with 5-year trend data.
- State Snapshots Annual resource detailing residency and fellowship Match outcomes at the state level, providing geographic analysis of physician workforce distribution.
- Transition to Residency Conference NRMP's annual national meeting gathering institutional, program, and medical school stakeholders to discuss critical issues related to the transition to residency.
Quantifiable outcome
- 99.3% overall fill rate for positions in the 2026 Main Residency Match and SOAP combined
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use National Resident Matching Program
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
National Resident Matching Program technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature3 records
National Resident Matching Program partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Liaison InternationalcoreNRMP partnered with Liaison International (ACOG's chosen application service provider) to ensure efficient processes and data transfer for OB/GYN applicants and programs. NRMP is working with Liaison International to streamline registration processes between the NRMP Match and the application service.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)coreNRMP is working with ACOG on policy issues pertaining to SOAP and ensuring transparency and clear communication regarding the transition to ACOG's new application service for OB/GYN applicants beginning with the 2024-2025 cycle.
- American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons (ACAPS)coreNRMP is coordinating with ACAPS regarding their Residency Central Application service for Plastic Surgery applicants and programs, ensuring alignment with Match policies and processes.
- AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) - ERAScoreNRMP exchanges data with AAMC's Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The NRMP R3 system exchanges data with ERAS daily to help programs rank applicants more easily and ensure accurate identification of registered participants.
- ResidencyCAScoreNRMP exchanges data with ResidencyCAS (application service for Emergency Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology). NRMP ID is automatically populated in ResidencyCAS once applicants complete Main Residency Match registration.
- ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates)coreNRMP conducts weekly data exchanges with ECFMG to verify that international medical graduates have met the medical science examination, clinical skills, and communication skills requirements for certification. ECFMG verifies IMG eligibility for Match participation.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
National Resident Matching Program competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC): Operates ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service), the upstream application platform that feeds NRMP's Match with daily data exchange. A broader medical education organization that is both a critical integration partner and the most plausible source of competitive expansion.
- Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME): Accredits the residency and fellowship programs that NRMP matches for, making it a deeply intertwined upstream regulator. NRMP's CEO Donna Lamb previously led accreditation work at ACGME, illustrating how the two organizations are operationally linked.
Emerging players
- Thalamus: Residency and fellowship interview scheduling and management platform used by many of the same programs that participate in the NRMP Match. Emerging workflow participant whose deeper applicant-program interactions could encroach on NRMP's positioning if integration deepens.
- Liaison International: Application service provider serving ACOG and ACAPS Plastic Surgery, integrating directly with NRMP R3. As a competitive alternative to AAMC ERAS, Liaison is a strategic partner but also a potential source of platform disintermediation in the residency application workflow.
Direct peers
- American Urological Association - Urology Match: Runs the urology residency match independently of NRMP, using a comparable algorithm-based preference matching process. Specialty-specific competitor that demonstrates the feasibility of alternatives outside the NRMP umbrella.
- National Matching Services Inc. (NMS): Operates the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) and runs matching programs for dental, psychology, optometry, and other health professions using similar preference-based algorithms. Most directly comparable peer since it operates parallel matching platforms in adjacent healthcare training markets.
- SF Match (Ophthalmology Fellowship Match): Operates the Ophthalmology Fellowship Match and other subspecialty matches using similar ranking algorithms. Direct competitor for specific fellowship matches and a long-standing alternative pathway outside the NRMP Specialties Matching Service.
Others
- National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME): Administers the USMLE examinations required for medical licensure and residency eligibility. While not a direct matching competitor, NBME's licensing gatekeeping role shapes the upstream pipeline of qualified applicants that NRMP serves.
- Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG): Certifies international medical graduates (IMGs) for U.S. training through weekly data exchange with NRMP. Complementary ecosystem participant whose credentialing decisions directly affect the IMG applicant pool that drives NRMP's growth.
Regional players
- Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS): Runs the Canadian equivalent of the NRMP Main Residency Match using a closely related matching algorithm. Highly comparable in business model and stakeholder structure but operates exclusively in Canada, providing geographic complementarity rather than direct U.S. competition.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
National Resident Matching Program social profiles
Digital presenceNational Resident Matching Program financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
National Resident Matching Program leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
National Resident Matching Program funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
National Resident Matching Program M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about National Resident Matching Program
What does National Resident Matching Program do?
NRMP operates matching programs that place medical school graduates into U.S. residency training positions and physicians into subspecialty fellowship positions. It conducts the annual Main Residency Match and the Specialties Matching Service (SMS) covering 80+ subspecialties across 22 separate matches, using a mathematical algorithm (the basis for the 2012 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences) delivered through its R3 web-based platform.
Is National Resident Matching Program a public or private company?
National Resident Matching Program is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was National Resident Matching Program founded?
National Resident Matching Program was founded in 1952. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is National Resident Matching Program based?
National Resident Matching Program is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does National Resident Matching Program make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Program and Institutional Fees are the primary driver. The others are applicant Registration Fees.
Who are National Resident Matching Program's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Emerging players are Thalamus and Liaison International. Direct peers are American Urological Association - Urology Match, National Matching Services Inc. (NMS) and SF Match (Ophthalmology Fellowship Match). Others are National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) is listed as a regional player.
Does National Resident Matching Program have an API?
No public API is recorded for National Resident Matching Program.
What industry is National Resident Matching Program in?
National Resident Matching Program's product category is Medical Residency Matching Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAANAI, Healthcare & Clinical Professional Certifications. Its NAICS code is 6115 and its SIC code is 8200.